Foreigners who nobly served Russia

Scots

The Scots were always willing to move to Russia, because, in their own homeland, they frequently felt oppressed by the hated English. At the same time, in Muscovy, they could often look forward to great opportunities, brilliant careers and financial prosperity. Some even managed to become the closest associates and friends of the tsars and to take part in the creation of the Russian Empire. You can read about them here.

English

The English were not as eager as their northern neighbors to enlist in the service of Russia. Good prospects awaited them at home, too. Nevertheless, some natives of the ‘Foggy Albion’ left a prominent mark on Russian history. George Dawe, an artist from London, painted a gallery of portraits of over 300 Russian army commanders who fought against Napoleon in 1812. And a senior British intelligence officer named Kim Philby was the most effective Soviet agent in the West ever. You can read about him and the other Englishmen who nobly served Russia here. 

French

The French Revolution of 1789 scattered tens of thousands of opponents of the new order all over the world. A good number settled in Russia, where they served their new homeland and even fought in the ranks of the Russian army against their former compatriots during the Napoleonic Wars. History repeated itself a century and a half later, when French pilots, forced to leave their German-occupied homeland, found themselves in the USSR and helped Soviet troops defeat their common enemy. You can read about them here. 

Spanish

Among the Spanish who distinguished themselves in the service of Russia were the founder of Odessa, José de Ribas, and the claimant to the Spanish throne, Jaime de Borbón, Duke of Madrid and Anjou. Many natives of the Iberian Peninsula found refuge in the Soviet Union after the defeat of the Republic in the Civil War of 1936-1939. Their fighting experience came in handy in the Red Army when, in 1941, World War II arrived in the USSR. You can read about all these extraordinary individuals here. 

Portuguese

For centuries, contacts between Russia and Portugal, countries situated at the opposite ends of Europe, were very limited and the number of Portuguese nationals who distinguished themselves in the service of the tsar can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Nevertheless, there were really fascinating individuals among them such as Adjutant-General Anton Manuilovich Devier (António de Vieira), an associate of Emperor Peter the Great and one of the most influential statesmen in Russia at the beginning of the 18th century. You can read about him here. 

Germans

The number of Germans entering Russian service had always been enormous. This was due to the geographical proximity of the German Principalities and also a consequence of the Baltic territories with their considerable German-speaking population becoming part of Russia in 1721 following the Great Northern War against Sweden. In Russia, the Germans mainly distinguished themselves in the fields of warfare and state policy. You can read about this here and here.

Italians

As opposed to their northern neighbors, the Italians principally made the journey to faraway Russia to pursue careers in the cultural field. It was thanks to the efforts of architects from the Apennine Peninsula that, today, we have the possibility of admiring the beauty of the Moscow Kremlin’s Dormition Cathedral and numerous palaces in St. Petersburg and its environs. You can read about the contribution to Russian culture made by the architects Aristotele Fioravanti, Bartolomeo Rastrelli and Carlo Rossi, as well as the composer Giuseppe Sarti, here.

Swiss

The most celebrated Swiss in service of Russia was arguably the military commander Antoine-Henri Jomini. Interestingly, before coming to Russia, he had actively fought against tsarist troops in the ranks of the Napoleonic army. You can read how Jomini eventually became one of the most valued Russian military specialists (and also about the lives of a number of other notable Swiss in Russia), here. 

Poles

Relations between the two Slavic nations have always been very tangled. Many Poles devoted their lives to the struggle against Russia, but, for others, the enormous country and its people genuinely became an adopted homeland. You can read about the interesting lives of scientist and entrepreneur Michał Jankowski, who settled in the Far East of the Empire, and also such famous Soviet figures of Polish descent as the founder of the country’s special services, Felix Dzerzhinsky, and Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky here. 

Serbs

The Russian and Serbian people have always been closely related by blood, faith and spirit, so it comes as no surprise that a warm welcome awaited Serbs who decided to settle in fraternal Russia. Serbs found protection from persecution at the hands of the Turks and Austrians and repaid their adopted country with loyal service. You can read about Sava Vladislavich-Raguzinsky, who was an associate of Peter I, a merchant and a secret agent; the talented inventor Ognjeslav Stepanović Kostović; and the dashing Red Army commander Oleko Dundich, here.

Americans

At different times, Russia was served faithfully and loyally by the “father of the American navy”, John Paul Jones; the journalist John Reed, who is buried by the Kremlin wall on the Red Square; and Joseph Beyrle, a serviceman in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army who had the unique opportunity of fighting against the Germans in the ranks of the Soviet army. Read about these interesting individuals (and others) here.

Dutch

When, at the end of the 17th century, Tsar Peter I set about establishing a regular navy, he knew whom he had to turn to. The Dutch, who were born seafarers and shipbuilders, helped the future emperor to carry out this difficult task magnificently. In addition, as captains they brought glory to the Russian navy with victories in naval battles on multiple occasions. You can read about them here.

Scandinavians

There can hardly be a person in Russia who has never heard of Vladimir Dahl, the celebrated scholar of Russian folklore and popular (spoken, non-literary) language. The result of many years of work by this son of a Danish doctor who had settled in Russia was the publication under his authorship of the ‘Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language’, which offers a wide-ranging insight into the lives and everyday circumstances of the Russian people in the 19th century. You can read about Dahl, as well as the Danish explorer Vitus Bering, the Norwegian admiral Cornelius Cruys and the Swedish general Eduard Ferdinand von Adlerberg (whom Emperor Nicholas I loved “as if he were my own brother”), here. 

Balts

There was a mixed reception among the inhabitants of the three Baltic republics after they joined the Soviet Union in the Summer of 1940.. Along with virulent opponents of the absorption of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania into the world’s first “Socialist state of workers and peasants”, there were also those who shared the USSR’s communist ideals and overtly rejoiced at this event. Find out about the Balts who became Heroes of the Soviet Union and People’s Artists of the USSR here.